Prep your PR

After an intense couple of months, summer is finally here! Something we have learned this spring is that extraordinary circumstances and events, such as Covid-19, will have a great impact on us as individuals, companies and the society as whole.

All of us have been forced to quickly adapt to new conditions. And still, no one can be certain on how the situation will develop. Now is the time to make a plan for who and what will be communicated once the holiday season kicks off.

Evaluate current status: Covid-19

For months, the media reporting has been all about Covid-19, and with summer right around the corner, there is a bigger demand for news outside of the pandemic. Many companies and organizations have been forced to postpone or cancel pre-planned communication prior to the global outbreak.

The change in the media landscape, in combination with the usual summer drought for news, is a golden opportunity for companies and organizations to revisit the communications activities that were cancelled just a few weeks or months ago. Perhaps you have some interesting data to share, or a new initiative to launch - and now is the best possible timing?

Prepare for potential crisis

What happens if something extraordinary should occur during late July when most of the employees are away on holiday? Who is responsible for handling a potential crisis? Make sure to plan properly and set clear processes to avoid additional stress in already stressful situations.

• Create a phone chain and specify who calls whom, and in what type of situation. Prepare for both big and small crises and define when the full crisis team should be notified.
• Make sure all summer substitutes and other staff know what measures different situations require.
• Notify all executive managers that they are on call for any crisis that would be considered a risk to your business.
• Fill out our crisis plan template - find it here!

Time for reflection

There has been a lot of lessons, both big and small, these last couple of months. With quarantine measures, working from home and digital transformations, the new reality is overwhelming. We needed to maintain work-life balance while being isolated in one setting—our homes. Make sure to take the time to really process everything that happened. Then, take the positive takeaways and bring them with you while transitioning back into normal life.

Annual cleanup!

If you are the one left in the office while everyone else is on holiday, consider doing a proper, digital cleanup. There is no better way to start a new season than with a clean slate.

• Clean out your inbox of everything you do not need
• Update all media lists with media outlets, journalists and influencers
• Go through all strategies and make sure your H2 plan is up to date

Good luck and have a lovely summer!